1001 Albums Summary

I enjoyed this more now, remembering my youth, than I remember enjoying it then. Some great songs, such as Spiderman.

I never used to love the Pet Shop Boys and thought that perhaps like other bands I once disliked (Supertramp, Queen, Blackbox) that I might hear them differently now, especially as everyone used to listen to them before we went out and they were critical darlings. I always thought they were too mainstream for my liking. Apart from stand out tracks like What Have I Done to Deserve This and It's a Sin – most of it kind of sounded the same. Neil Tennant's voice is too thin and monotonous, the chord progressions all sound like the 80s and the choruses are too repetitive, especially on the slower deep cuts that you can't really dance to. Having said that, I liked the way it critiqued the money culture of the 80s and Thatcherism in songs like Rent, Shopping and It Couldn't Happen Here.

Since I Left You and Frontier Psychiatrist were the big hits but the other deep cuts were surprisingly evocative and good. Really enjoyed this.

I generally liked this, but it doesn’t compare to On the Beach. I liked Down By The River but it all sounds of it’s time, very 60s/Haight Ashbury rock. Cinnamon Girl was a great rocky opener and Cowgirl in the Sand was a good closer, very trippy. But nothing really stood out.